Darning machine



J. PAGE ET AL DARNING MACHINE Oct. 2, 1945.

Filed June 24, 1944 2'sheets-sh`eet- 1 A lnivefztors .By ab@ M Oct. 2,` 1945. n.1. PAGE vE-r A1. DARNING MACHINE Filed June 24, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 t if Patented-Oct. 2, 1945 i DARNING MACHINE John Page and Leslie Trevor John Page, Leicester, England Application June 24, 1944, Serial No. 541,960 In Great Britain October 27, 1943 3 Claims.

This invention is a darning machine, for darning socks and the like. The said machine comprises a curved needle bed for the reception of individually-slidable bearded needles presenting their beards at the convex surface thereof, which bed affords a passage for butts of the needles to be presented at the concave surface of the bed, oscillatable cam means located in the concavity of the bed for engaging said butts and for imparting knitting movements to the needles during oscillation of the cam means in each direction, a yarn feeder, presser means arranged about the curved bed for pressing the bearded needles, a mounting on which -said presser means is displaceable away from the bed to permit a sock or the like to be inserted or removed, and means for oscillating said cam means and feeder in relation to the needle bed. This machine preferably has, in combination with a fabric take-up device, a holding-down device for engaging the butts are presented at the inner or concave sur-l exterior of the fabric, and means for periodically i which will now be described in detail as van `example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is to some extent diagrammatic in character and shows a sectional elevation of the machine, and Y Figure 2 is a view, partly in section, looking on the left hand end of Fig. 1.

Upon a suitable base I0 there is 'a bracket II within which a hollow rock shaft I2 is journalled. This rock shaft is provided with any suitable means for oscillating it; the handle I3 is shown by way of example andany power drive may be used. An external cylinder vI4 is secured to the bracket II and contains a needle cylinder. The said needlecylinder is formed in two portions, the front portion I5a and a rear portion I5b. The upper part of the front cylinder I5a has its outer periphery tricked to accommodate a suitable number of bearded knitting needles I6. The tricks are cut completely through the front part of the rear portion I5b as indicated at II, the interior diameter of the said front part being enlarged for this purpose (which enlargement is clearly shown in the bottom portion of the drawing). Therefore the butts I8 of the needles can project inwardly through the cylinder portion I5b for engagement by operating cams, and it may here loe-pointed out that while the needle hooks are presented'at the outer or convex surface of the needle bed the face thereof.

Inside the needle cylinder there is a camdrumy 20 secured to the rock shaft I2. This cam drum is formed with a suitable knitting track, indi-4 cated diagrammatically at 2 I, in which the butts track being such that as the cam drum is oscillated knitting proceeds to and fro along the line of the needles, the necessary knitting thread being l-aid to and fro along the line .by a yarn feeder 22 supported from an arm 23 attached to the rock shaft. I

Around the aforesaid end of the needle cylinder at which the needle `heads are presented'there is a part-circular member '50 which carries a series of pressers 5I projecting radially inwards at position such that as the bearded needles I6 are operated by theA cam drum 20 each one engages its presser and is pressed thereby so that upon retraction of eachneedle the latter casts off its old loop in known manner. This partcircular member 50 is carried by an arm 52 which extends horizontally above the needle rcylinder and is pivoted at 53 sothat the arm'and said member may be swung upwards as is'nec'essary in order to permit a sock or the like,.which. requires darning, to be drawn on to the exterior of the stationary cylinder I4.

The said part-circular member 50 further constitutes a sinker bed, being tricked radially to' accommodate individual loop-measuring' sinkers 54. presented at the rearoflthe part-'circular member toengage a sinker-operatingcam 55 which oscillates with the feeder' 22, the said cam 55v the said member 50 but having its outer periph-.fL

ery at such a radius that the heads of lthe needles I 6, when projected, pass outside it. In order These sinkers 54 have butts 54 which are.

This device consists of la` i the ends.

` they ratchet shaft 21 outwards.

mentioned, the part-circular member 50 carrying it is raised slightly at the end of each swing of the cam drum 20 at the time when the take-up device is racked outwards. For this purpose, at

driven by the vaforesaid handle I3.

The tappets 51 rest on vertical plungers 58 I0 and connected by a horizontal cross bar 50 resting on cam 6l. The shaft 52 of this cam is driven at twice the speed of the cam drum 2) by gearing, preferably chain-and-sprocket gearing, indicated at 63.

'I'he take-up device consists of a disc V26 the periphery of which is provided with a series of sharp pins 6'4 which engage the interior of the sock. VThe shaft 21 on which this disc 2B .is

mounted extends into the interior of the cam drum -2|),A but in order toV provide anV outer bearing'for the shaft the aforesaid end of the cylinder is closed by plate or the like E5 through which the shaft extends axially. The shaft 21 is prevented from rotating by a spring-pressed key or dowel -66 in the plate E5 engaging in a keyway 61 along the shaft. The take-upv device may be returnedbyrst rotating it and by then pushing it inwards, for which purpose the key-way 61yconsists of two parallel branches connected at of arms 3ll themselves pivoted at 32 in a bracket 33 secured to the .interior of the cylinder l5a. The said arms carry a plate 34 which is urged by a spring 3-5-to-wards the end of the cam drum 20. The latter is provided with two spaced cams slidable in housings 59 within the box-like base 4 The take-up shaft 21 ris provided with a rack of ratchet teeth 28; These teeth are engaged-by a pawl 29 pivoted at 30 between a pair 36 so located that in each direction of movement of the drum one of them .engages the plate 34 and pushes the pawl to the left and so moves Thus the takeup mechanism makes a step at the end of each The` feeder 22 isV carried by a post 68 depending from-a plate B9 attachedk to an arm 24 pivoted to 'f ,armV 23. At its rear end the post 68 carries a projecting-pin 1I- that travels inside a part-circular rim- 12 on member 5l)v so that the feeder is prevented from rising. The pin 1I may-be disengaged from the rim 12, and the sinker cam 55 from the sinker butts 54', at the end of either swing, so

swung away from the needles.

` course ofr knitting. The pawl is urged into engagement with the rack by a spring 31.

. that the feeder and the pressers may then be At each end. of the group ofneedlesv I6 in the i cylinder there isa dummy needle 16a, without a hook, the function lof'which is to penetrate the fabricat the side of the hole-to be darned and i so to position the fabric while at least one needle inwards thereof operates.

Any suitable means may be provided for varying the number of needles operated on by the knittingtrack in the cams` drum. For this purpose the needles may have double butts.

It is` to be understood that at the commencei ment of darning operationsY the sock is positioned around the-exterior of the cylinder I4 and underneath theV holding-down device 50 so that the needles-penetrate it in their outward movement,

` that this holding-down device 56 shall not inv 3 hibit the actionof the take-up device herein receive the yarn from the feeder 22 and form stitches during their retraction.

We claim: j Y

1. A darning `machine comprising a curved needle bed for the reception of individually-slidable bearded knitting needles presenting their beards at the outer convex surface of the bed at an end thereof which bed affords a passage for butts of the needles to be presented at the concave'surface of the bed, oscillating cam means located in the concavity of the bed for engaging said butts and for imparting knitting movements to the needles during oscillation of the cam means in each direction, -a yarn feeder, presser means arranged about the said end of the curved bed for pressing the bearded needles, a mounting on which said presser means is displaceable away from the bed to permit a sock or the like to be inserted or removed, means for oscillating said cam means and feeder in relation to the needle bed, a fabric take-up device, means for operating it with a step-by-step'motion to take up the fabric as darn-p ing proceeds, a holding down device for engaging the exterior of the fabric, and means for periodically lifting the holding-down device coincidently with the step-by-step operation of the take-up.

2; A darning machine comprising a curved vneedle bed for the reception of Vindividually-slidable bearded knitting needles presenting their beards at the outer-convex surface of the bed at an end thereof which bed affords a passage for butts of the needles to be presented at the concave surfaceV of the bed, oscillating cam means located in the concavity of the bed for engaging said butts and for imparting knitting movements to the needles during oscillation of the cam means 'in each direction, a yarn feeder, presser means ar- Y ranged about the 'said end 0f the curved bed for pressing the bearded needles, a mounting on which said presser means is displaceable away from the bedto permit a sock or the likev to be inserted'or removed, means for oscillating said cam means and feeder in relation to the needle bed, a curved holding-down device for engaging the exterior of the fabric, means for raising it periodically, a fabric take-up device, andy racking mechanism for imparting a take-up step tosaid device each time the holding-down device is raised. f

3. A darning machine comprising a. curved needle bed for the reception'of indiViduall'y-slidable bearded knitting needles presenting their beards at the outer convex surface of the bed at anl end thereof which bed affords a passage for butts of the needles to be -presented at the concave surface yof the bed, oscillating cam means located in.

the concavity of the bed for engaging said butts t and for .imparting knitting movements to the needles during oscillation of the cam means in each direction, a yarn feeder, presser means arranged about the said end of the curved bed: for pressing the bearded needles, a mounting on which said presser means is displaceable away from the bed to permit a sock or the like to be inserted-or removed, means for oscillating said cammeans and feeder in relationto the needle bed, a sinker bed for the receptionl of individually-movable sinkers, a mounting on rwhich said bed. is displaceable away from the needle bed to permit a sockor the like to be inserted or removed, and oscillatable sinker-operating means.

JOHN PAGE.

LESLIE' TREVOR JOHN PAGE. 

